To understand the true vision of Bellevue Medical Center’s landscaping plan you have to look out two to three years in the future.
When fully mature, natural prairie grasses will wave softly in the breeze with shade trees providing coverage from the summer sun and protection from winter winds.
But the native landscaping was more than just an aesthetic choice for the hospital. It was a choice that balances beauty with sustainability and the impact on the environment.
Over the next few years the native grasses will grow thicker and begin to choke out the weeds that thrived in the warm wet summer. The root systems on these grasses run deeper than traditional lawn grasses and will require little or no irrigation once they are established. This low maintenance feature provides further benefits to the environment by eliminating the need fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.
The landscaping at Bellevue Medical Center also features several Bioswales that border the inner edges of the parking lots. Bioswales are shallow trenches with native plants used to slow the speed of surface runoff and allow storm water to infiltrate back into the ground instead of flowing directly into storm sewers.
Another water controlling feature is the collection pool on the northeast corner of the hospital’s campus. This collection pool also allows for a slower delivery of water back into the natural water ways and helps to mitigate the possibility of flooding while maintaining stable water levels on the hospital’s property.
The natural features of the hospital’s landscaping also include a federally protected wetland and waterway that borders the western edge of the campus. From the earliest stages of planning and development Bellevue Medical Center has gone to great lengths to protect the natural state of this area. In fact, prior to breaking ground, the hospital removed a large amount of trash and debris from the area and is now restricted from interfering with the natural growth of the land.
Protecting this area and incorporating a native and environmentally responsible landscaping plan was one of the key design elements used by Bellevue Medical Center to qualify for Silver Level LEED Certification.
LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally recognized green building certification program that sets industry-wide standards for design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings to produce reduced energy consumption and environmental impact.
The landscaping initiatives along with a number of efficiencies within the building itself are estimated to save more than $200,000 in energy costs annually.
Natural beauty, environmental stewardship and energy efficiency are all part of the vision when looking towards the future of Bellevue Medical Center.
